Prevalence, duration of exposure and predicting factors for snus use among young Finnish men:a cross-sectional study

Objective: The health hazards of tobacco products depend on the level of exposure, but little is known about the characteristics of snus use. The aim of this study was to investigate the duration of daily exposure to snus among occasional and daily users and its associated predictive factors among young Finnish men. Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire study. Setting: Three out of 16 Finnish Defence Forces units. Participants: 1280 young Finnish male conscripts starting their military service in 2016 chosen by simple random sampling. Primary and secondary measures: The prevalence, duration of use and the amount of daily usage of snus and cigarettes were investigated. The attitudes towards perceived harmfulness of snus and the predictive factors affecting the total time of snus consumption were examined. Results: Almost a fifth (19.5%) of the conscripts reported daily snus use, and a further 16% reported occasional use. Daily snus use was associated with an earlier starting age, longer duration of use and higher daily exposure time compared with occasional use. On average, daily snus users consumed 10 portions and occasional users three portions per day (p